Boulder panhandling restrictions move forward

Ordinance would ban asking for money in places where people might feel trapped

The Boulder City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to give initial approval to new panhandling restrictions.

The proposed ordinance would ban panhandling in areas where people might feel trapped or already have their wallets out, such as at ATMs and parking pay stations, playgrounds and outdoor dining areas.

The council is considering the restrictions as part of a larger effort to address "social misbehavior" in central Boulder, including on the municipal campus. Boulder has restored the possibility of jail time for municipal offenses, asked for longer sentences for crimes committed in "high-impact" areas, installed surveillance cameras and increased police patrols.

The proposed panhandling restrictions do not go as far as the limits discussed by some City Council members earlier this year or as far as many other Front Range communities. The City Attorney's Office has not recommended that the city ban panhandling at night or from vulnerable individuals, such as seniors and people with disabilities, or from vehicles at intersections.

City officials said they are trying to strike a balance between protecting the free speech rights of people asking for money (courts have repeatedly upheld panhandling as a protected activity) and protecting people who don't want to be bothered when they feel stuck.

City ordinances already prohibit aggressive panhandling, panhandling in medians and interfering with traffic.

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The ordinance would ban panhandling in outdoor dining areas, within 20 feet of a marked bus stop, a self-service fuel pump, a children's play area, an ATM or a parking pay station.

The ordinance applies only to verbal requests, not to people holding signs or engaging in "passive solicitation."

The City Council members did not discuss the proposal Tuesday night or ask any questions about it on first reading.

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